Marguerite Ross Barnett with University of Houston's cougar mascot. [1990-1992]. Special Collections, University of Houston Libraries. University of Houston Digital Library. Web. February 22, 2018. https://digital.lib.uh.edu/collection/p15195coll6/item/14.

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([1990-1992]). Marguerite Ross Barnett with University of Houston's cougar mascot. University of Houston People. Special Collections, University of Houston Libraries. Retrieved from https://digital.lib.uh.edu/collection/p15195coll6/item/14

Disclaimer: This is a general citation for reference purposes. Please consult the most recent edition of your style manual for the proper formatting of the type of source you are citing. If the date given in the citation does not match the date on the digital item, use the more accurate date below the digital item.

Marguerite Ross Barnett with University of Houston's cougar mascot, [1990-1992], University of Houston People, Special Collections, University of Houston Libraries, accessed February 22, 2018, https://digital.lib.uh.edu/collection/p15195coll6/item/14.

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The University of Houston cougar mascot, Shasta, and Marguerite Ross Barnett standing side by side, fingers holding up the "cougar paw" hand gesture for school spirit. Marguerite Ross Barnett was born in Charlottesville, Va., and grew up in Buffalo, New York. She earned her bachelor's degree at Antioch College in Ohio and her master's and doctoral degrees at the University of Chicago, all in political science. She taught at the University of Chicago, Princeton, Howard and Columbia. She served as chancellor of the University of Missouri-St. Louis from 1986-1990. Barnett was the first black and the first woman to head the University of Houston. She took office Sept. 1, 1990 as the school’s eighth president, succeeding Richard Van Horn. She expanded the level of scientific research at UH while improving the level of undergraduate teaching. She spearheaded efforts to define the university's role as an urban institution attentive to the needs of the city surrounding it. She also was responsible for the creation of the Texas Center for the Study of the Environment and the Texas Center for University-School Partnerships. In addition to her achievements in college administration, Barnett was a recognized scholar in her field of political science and was author or editor of five books. At the time of her death due to cancer, she was the nation's highest-ranked black woman college administrator.